“We Are All in This Together”

There has been a lot of buzz, both positive and negative, in the child advocacy world following the publication of the Esquire article, The War Against Youth, by Stephen Marche. I responded in a blog post with my thoughts on how the youngest generation faces tougher hurdles to succeed as adults and why investments in kids are more important than ever. Generations United also responded to the article, concerned that generations were being pitted against one another.

And, yesterday, the Huffington Post featured an article by Bruce Lesley, President of First Focus, that mentioned my blog post. He makes the case for why generations should work together to ensure a safe, healthy, and economically sound future for our nation’s children. Unfortunately, this future is becoming increasingly challenging due to rising poverty and weakened economy, which makes it all the more important for people across generations to band together.

Here’s what Mr. Lesley says:

“The greatest generation of America’s last century survived the Great Depression, fought and defeated global tyranny, built the great American middle class, and so much more. And, as America’s growing numbers of senior citizens hit retirement age in increasing numbers, they are deeply concerned about the next generation’s future. Recent polling shows that senior citizens believe that, by a 61-20 percent margin, that the lives of children over the past 10 years have become somewhat or much worse rather than better.”